Smoked Paprika Chicken Thighs

These smoked paprika chicken thighs are amazingly delicious and amazingly easy to make! They’ll be a perfect addition to your recipe rotation!

In less than an hour, you can have these smoked paprika chicken thighs on the table for dinner. This chicken is incredibly moist and amazingly flavorful. This chicken is quick and easy enough to serve for everyday meals, but elegant enough to serve for special occasions. Enjoy!

Let’s talk about our seasoning mix!

I love making homemade seasoning mixes for all kinds of dishes. One of my favorite spices is smoked paprika. Sometimes I’ll just open the jar so I can enjoy the aroma of the spice. I often add smoked paprika to my spice mixtures and to dishes such as casseroles and chili. But for this chicken, the smoked paprika is the star of the dish! Paprika and smoked paprika are made with the same kind of peppers. The difference between the two is in how they’re made. For regular paprika, the peppers are simply allowed to air dry, then ground into a fine powder. But for smoked paprika the peppers are smoked before being dried and ground into a powder. This gives it its deep rich and smoky flavor. To our smoked paprika, we simply add salt and pepper.

What are some low carb options for serving these smoked paprika chicken thighs?

You have some awesome options for serving this chicken. It’s a great choice for lunch, brunch, or dinner. And since it comes together in under an hour, it’s a wonderful choice for even your busiest of days. I love starting our meals with a green salad, served with all our favorite toppings. You can also start your meal with a keto soup. Another super choice is to add a side of keto biscuits, chaffles, cornbread, or English muffins. For vegetables, any low carb vegetable dish would pair nicely with this chicken. Some great vegetable options include asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage dishes, cauliflower, green beans, and spinach. We also enjoy both boiled radishes and roasted radishes as well. Some other options include serving this chicken with a side of sauteed kohlrabi, sauteed rutabaga, or with cauliflower mac and cheese! Another great choice is to serve your chicken with chicken gravy!

How do I make keto chicken gravy to serve with these smoked paprika chicken thighs?

It’s incredibly quick and easy to make your own keto chicken gravy! You’ll start by melting 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet over medium high heat. To the melted butter, you’ll add 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum, which is our thickener, and ½ teaspoon of garlic powder and whisk to combine. Then add 2 cups of chicken broth and 1 teaspoon of tamari. At this point, you’ll increase your heat to high and bring the gravy to a boil, whisking frequently. Once your gravy comes to a boil, let it boil for a minute, again whisking frequently. The gravy will thicken during this time and will be ready to serve. My go-to recipe uses all chicken broth, but you can use the drippings from your chicken or a combination of drippings and broth if you’d prefer.

Need a keto dessert to finish off your meal? Here are a few I think you’ll enjoy!

Chocolate Espresso Keto No-Bake Cheesecake

Cinnamon Sugar Keto Cheesecake Bars

Keto Blackberry Raspberry Mousse

Keto Strawberry Fool

Helpful Hints:

*When serving, I like to drizzle some of the chicken drippings over my chicken.

*You can easily double this recipe if you’d like.

Main Kitchen Equipment and Utensils:

• 8×8 inch baking dish
• Measuring spoons

Splash of Encouragement:

***Sometimes the most simple dishes are also the most delicious***